Building Community

Nine sets of hands hoisted a gable up and over the wall at 537 Lansing Street, where it could be nailed into position to support the roof of a new house.

For Erick Juarez, the Habitat for Humanity project with co-workers in the Facilities Division was a satisfying way to spend a Friday.

“I’d always wanted to work on a Habitat project, but I never knew how to get started,” said Juarez, whose usual workday involves planning landscape projects for Grounds Management.

An avid do-it-yourselfer with an associate’s degree in architecture, Juarez joined three dozen of his colleagues in the largest volunteer construction project to date for Facilities.

The team used their community service leave, paid time off for volunteering available to NC State employees. “It’s one of the great features of working at NC State,” Juarez said.

Employees receive 24 hours of community service leave each year, to be used for qualified volunteer activities at schools or community organizations with a supervisor’s approval.

Natural Habitat

Having community service leave makes it possible for Tierra Hobley in Business Services, a longtime Habitat volunteer, to continue her support.

She saw the devastation of Hurricane Katrina firsthand while volunteering in the lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans during an alternative spring break trip. As an NC State student, she also spent many Saturday mornings at construction sites with a public service sorority, Delta Sigma Theta.

Hobley, who became a full-time employee in November, enjoyed the opportunity to connect with co-workers in person instead of on the phone.

“It’s great because it helps relationships within departments,” she says. “Facilities is so large, I didn’t know some of my co-workers before today.”

At a second Habitat house nearby on Parnell Drive, crew members with construction experience navigated the roof with confidence. Meanwhile, Lynn Burris, an executive assistant, was learning to use a circular saw.

“This is a situation where we can use skills particular to our organization,” said Kevin MacNaughton, associate vice chancellor for Facilities. “We also have a fair number of people at the site today who normally sit at keyboards.

“The fact that we have community service leave is something we want folks to take advantage of, to do good things for the community.”

Facilities Volunteers:
Habitat for Humanity

Building Maintenance and Operations

• Robert Smolensky

Facilities Budget Office

• Joy Holland

Business Services Accounting

• Tierra Hobley

Capital Project Management

• David Hammock
• Patricia Phillips
• Rachel Patrick
• Victor Smith

Design and Construction Services

• Angela Lord
• Angkana Bode

Facilities Human Resources

• Edward Elliott
• Jennifer Harrison
• Joyce Hardwick
• Nikki Price
• Sally Smolensky

Associate Vice Chancellor

• Kevin MacNaughton

Facilities Division Administration

• Lynn Burris

Grounds Management/Fleet Services

• Bill Beardall

Grounds Management

• Carlos Jones
• Erick Juarez
• Amy Trudo McBride
• Michael Ginnane
• Terry Price
• Whitney Stevens

Housekeeping

• Samuel Alston Jr.

Housekeeping Administration

• Debra Shepherd

Repair and Renovation

• William Hardwick
• Doris Kelsey
• John Jefferds
• Thomas Wooten

University Architect

• Cynthia Williford
• Elizabeth Moore
• Giana Malak
• Robert Yaeger
• Thomas Skolnicki
• Jennifer Benedick

Utilities

• William Ball
• Erin Moore
• Stephen Brown